It’s not “sharks with frickin’ laser beams attached to their heads”, but it’s a close second.

(That’s an Austin Powers/ Doctor Evil reference, FYI. I’m really showing my age, here).

First, there was a call for recruits for the newly developed and tad ridiculous, ‘Space Force’.

Now the US Navy is testing lasers that can shoot aircraft out of the sky.

That country seems intent on becoming a parody of far-fetched sci-fi films.

Joking aside, the laser is an incredibly powerful weapon.

Here’s CNN:

A US Navy warship has successfully tested a new high-energy laser weapon that can destroy aircraft mid-flight, the Navy’s Pacific Fleet said in a statement Friday.

Videos provided by the Navy show the amphibious transport dock ship USS Portland executing “the first system-level implementation of a high-energy class solid-state laser” to disable an aerial drone aircraft, the statement said.

…Short video clips show what appears to be the drone burning.

Uhm…does anyone else feel unsafe?

Let’s take in some of those videos:

And, more:

Umm, cool?

The power of the weapon has not been disclosed, but it’s estimated to be a 150-kilowatt laser.

“By conducting advanced at sea tests against UAVs and small crafts, we will gain valuable information on the capabilities of the Solid State Laser Weapons System Demonstrator against potential threats,” Capt. Karrey Sanders, commanding officer of Portland, said in the statement.

“With this new advanced capability, we are redefining war at sea for the Navy.”

The laser works by firing massive amounts of photons at an incoming object. It would be effective in taking out small aircraft and boats.

“We don’t worry about wind, we don’t worry about range, we don’t worry about anything else. We’re able to engage the targets at the speed of light.”

It’s nice to know that massive amounts of money are being spent on weapons development and testing while we fight off a pandemic.

At least the war at sea will be under control, much like the war in space.

[source:cnn]